Advisory Services

Pharmaceutics

Accuracy:

The correctness of a number in its representation of a given value.

Active ingredient:

The chemical in the drug product producing the desired therapeutic effect.

Apothecaries:

Early pharmacists and/or their shops.

Apothecary system:

Literally the system used by an apothecary; a system of measurement used in pharmacy prior to the metric system; units of measure include minims, fluidrams, scruples, grains, ounces, and pounds.

Atomic weight:

The weight of a single atom of an element compared with the weight of a single atom of hydrogen.

Autoclave:

A device that generates heat and pressure to sterilize.

Or

Strong, pressurized, steam-heated vessel, as for laboratory experiments, sterilization, or cooking.

Average inventory:

The beginning inventory plus the ending inventory divided by two.

Average wholesale price (AWP):

The average price that wholesalers charge the pharmacy for a drug; used to determine reimbursement.

Avoirdupois system:

An alternative system of measurement used in pharmacy prior to the metric system.

Biopharmaceuticals:

Bioengineered drugs that are produced by recombinant DNA technology.

Biotechnology:

The field of study that combines the science of biology, chemistry, and immunology to produce synthetic, unique drugs with specific therapeutic effects.

Brand name:

The name under which the manufacturer markets a drug; a registered trademark of the manufacturer; also known as the trade name.

Capsid:

A protein shell that surrounds and protects the nucleic acid within a virus particle.

Capsule:

The dose form containing powder, liquid, or granules in a gelatin covering.

Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT):

A pharmacy technician who has passed the PTCE.

Chain pharmacy:

A community pharmacy that consists of several similar pharmacies in the region (or nation) that are corporately owned.

Clearance:

The rate at which a drug is eliminated from a specific volume of blood per unit of time.

Clinical trial:

Drug testing on humans, used to determine drug safety and efficacy.

Or

A rigorously controlled test of a new drug or a new invasive medical device on human subjects; in the United States it is conducted under the direction of the FDA before being made available for general clinical use.

Cloning:

Reproducing identical copies of a gene by DNA technology.

Colloidal dispersion:

The dispersion of ultrafine particles

Comminution:

The act of reducing a substance to small, fine particles.

Compliance:

A patient's adherence to the dose schedule and other particular requirements of the specified regimen.

Compounded sterile products (CSPs):

Sterile products that are prepared outside of the pharmaceutical manufacturer's facility.
Compounded stock solution:

A solution that is prepared in a large amount and kept in stock in the pharmacy to be divided for individual prescriptions.

Compounding:

The process of using raw ingredients and/or other prepared ingredients to prepare a drug product for a patient

Compounding slab:

A flat, hard, nonabsorbent surface used for mixing compounds; also known as ointment slab.

Coring:

Introducing a small chunk of the rubber closure into the solution while removing medication from a vial.

Creams:

Cosmetically acceptable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions for topical use on the skin.

Delivery system:

A device used to deliver the drug; a design feature of the dose form that affects the delivery of the drug; how a medication is formulated to release the active ingredient.

Depreciation:

An allowance made to account for the decreasing value of an asset.

Diluent:

A sterile fluid added to a powder to reconstitute, dilute, or dissolve a medication.

Dilution:

The product obtained when an inactive ingredient, a diluent, is added to a concentrate.
Dispensing fee:

Amount charged over and above the actual cost of the medication; includes profit, cost of materials, cost of labor, and overhead.

Dispersions:

Liquid dose forms in which undissolved ingredients are mixed throughout a liquid vehicle.

Distribution:

The process by which a drug moves from the blood into other body fluids and tissues and ultimately to its sites of action.

Effervescent salts:

Granular salts that release gas and dispense active ingredients into solution when placed in water.

Electrolytes:

Substances, such as mineral salts, that dissociate into ions in solution and are thus capable of conducting electricity.

Emulsion:

The dispersion of a liquid in another liquid.

Or

Combination of two immiscible liquids, in which one is dispersed into the other in the presence of emulsifying agent.

Epidermis:

The top layer of the skin.

Equivalent (Eq):

1 mole divided by its valence, or the number of grams of solute dissolved in 1 mL of solution.

Esters:

A short-acting class of local anesthetics, metabolized by pseudocholinesterase of the plasma and tissue fluids.

Or

Any of a class of organic compounds corresponding to the inorganic salts and formed from an organic acid and an alcohol.

Fiber:

The undigested residue of fruits, vegetables, and other foods of plant origin that remains after digestion by the human GI enzymes; characterized by fermentability and may be either water soluble or insoluble.

Filters:

Devices used to remove contaminants such as glass, paint, fibers, and rubber cores from IV fluids.

Filtration:

The removal of substances from the blood as part of the formation of urine by the renal tubules.

Floor stock:

Medications stocked on each nursing unit.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

The agency of the federal government that is responsible for ensuring the safety of and efficacy of drugs and food prepared for the market.

Formula:

A written document containing the ingredients and instructions needed to prepare a compound.

Formulary:

A list of drugs that have been preapproved for use by a committee of health professionals; used in hospitals, in managed care, and by many insurance providers

Genetic engineering:

A hybridization technique for creating monoclonal antibodies (MAbs).

Or

Scientific alteration of the structure of genetic material in a living organism. It involves the production and use of recombinant DNA and has been employed to create bacteria that synthesize insulin and other human proteins.

Geometric dilution method:

The combining of drugs using a mortar and pestle.

Or

Technique used in mixing two ingredients of unequal quantities, where one begins with the smallest quantity and adds an equal quantity of the ingredient having the larger amount; process continues until all of the ingredients are used.

Germ theory of disease:

The idea that microorganisms cause diseases.

GI transit time:

The time it takes for material to pass from one end of the GI tract to the other; the slower the GI transit time, the greater the amounts of nutrients and water absorbed.

Good manufacturing practice (GMP):

Laboratory and industry guidelines to ensure a suitable work environment to prepare high-quality medications.

Or

Good manufacturing practice (GMP) is that part of quality assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate to their intended use and as required by the marketing authorization. GMP is aimed primarily at diminishing the risks inherent in any pharmaceutical production, which may broadly be categorized in two groups: cross contamination/mix-ups and false labeling .It has four pillars known as 4 P’s of GMP which includes Price, Product, Place, Procedure.

Grain:

The smallest unit of measure in the apothecary system that is used with any frequency in pharmacy.

Gram:

The metric system's basic unit for measuring weight.

Half-life:

The time necessary for the body to eliminate half of the drug in the body at any time; written as T1/2.

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter:

A device used with laminar flow hoods to filter out most particulate matter (0.3 micron and larger) to prepare parenteral products safely and aseptically.

Or

A filter that can remove very small lead particles and prevent them from being redistributed into the air. HEPA filters are used on respirators and vacuum cleaners to prevent lead exposure. The filter is capable of filtering out particles of three-tenths (0.3) micron or greater from a body of air at ninety-nine and ninety-seven hundredths percent (99.97%) efficiency or greater.

Home healthcare pharmacy:

A pharmacy that dispenses, prepares, and delivers drugs and medical supplies directly to the home of the patient.

Horizontal laminar airflow hood:

A special biological safety cabinet used to aseptically prepare IV drug admixtures, nutrition solutions, and other parenteral products.

Hospital pharmacy:

An institutional pharmacy that dispenses and prepares drugs and provides clinical services in a hospital setting.

Or

Hospital pharmacy is the health care service, which comprises the art, practice, and profession of choosing, preparing, storing, compounding, and dispensing medicines and medical devices, advising healthcare professionals and patients on their safe, effective and efficient use.

Household measure:

A system of measure used in homes, particularly in kitchens, in the United States; units of measure for volume include teaspoonful, tablespoonful, cup, pint, quart, and gallon; units for weight are pound and ounce.

Immediate Release Dosage Form:

A dosage form that is intended to release the entire active ingredient on administration with no enhanced, delayed or extended release effect.

Independent pharmacy:

A community pharmacy that is privately owned by the pharmacist.

Institutional pharmacy:

Pharmacies that are organized under a corporate structure, following specific rules and regulations for accreditation.

Institutional review board (IRB):

A committee of the hospital that ensures the appropriate protection is provided to patients using investigational drugs or procedures.

Isomers:

Compounds that contain the same number and type of atoms but have exactly opposite (mirror image) structures.

Isotonic solution:

A solution with the same level of particles, and thus the same tonicity, as body fluids; a parenteral solution with the same number of particles as blood cells.

IV administration set:

A sterile, pyrogen-free disposable device used to deliver IV fluids to patients.

IV piggyback (IVPB):

A small volume of fluid and medication that is given intravenously in addition to a primary infusion over a short period of time.

Levigation:

The process reducing the particle size of a solid during the preparation of an ointment.

Liter:

The metric system's basic unit for measuring volume.

Lotion:

A liquid for topical application containing insoluble dispersed solids or immiscible liquids.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs):

Lipoproteins containing 6% triglycerides and 65% cholesterol; "bad cholesterol".

Master formula sheet:

A list of ingredients needed and procedures to follow when compounding; also called a compounding log.

Medical error:

Any circumstance, action, inaction, or decision related to healthcare that contributes to an unintended health result.

Metric system:

A measurement system based on subdivisions and multiples of 10; made up of three basic units: meter, gram, and liter.

Mole (M):

The measurement of an element equal to its atomic weight in grams.

Molecular weight:

The sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in one molecule of a compound.

Mortar and pestle:

Instruments used for mixing and grinding pharmaceutical ingredients.

Neurotransmitters:

Chemical substances that are selectively released from neurons and stimulate or inhibit activity in the target cells.

New drug application (NDA):

The process through which drug sponsors formally propose that the FDA approve a new pharmaceutical for sale and marketing in the United States.

 

Nuclear pharmacist:

A certified pharmacist specializing in procuring, storing, compounding, dispensing, and providing information about radioactive pharmaceuticals used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Nuclear pharmacy:

A pharmacy that prepares and distributes radioactive pharmaceuticals to treat and diagnose disease.

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion:

An emulsion containing a small amount of oil dispersed in water; like a cream.

Ointment:

Semisolid emulsions for topical use on the skin.

Or

An ointment is a viscous semisolid preparation used topically on a variety of body surfaces. These include the skin and the mucous membranes of the eye (an eye ointment), vagina, anus, and nose. An ointment may or may not be medicated.

Omission error:

An error in which a prescribed dose is not given.

Package insert:

An information sheet required by the FDA and provided by a drug manufacturer that includes information on the product's indication and uses, dose, contraindications and warnings, as well as side effects and adverse reactions.

Pastes:

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions containing more solid material than an ointment.

Or

A smooth viscous mixture, as of flour and water or of starch and water, that is used as an adhesive for joining light materials, such as paper and cloth.

Or

The moist clay or clay mixture used in making porcelain or pottery.

pH value:

The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution; less than 7 is acidic and more than 7 is alkaline, pH value 7 indicates for neutral. pH scale ranges from 0-14.

Pharmaceutics:

The study of the release characteristics of specific drug dose forms.

Pharmacognosy:

The study of medicinal functions of natural products of animal, plant, or mineral origins.

Or

The branch of pharmacology that deals with drugs of vegetable or animal origin, in their crude or natural state and with medicinal herbs.

Pharmacopoeias:

Official listings of medicinal preparations.

Or

A book describing drugs, chemicals, and medicinal preparations; especially : one issued by an officially recognized authority and serving as a standard.

Or

A book containing an official list of medicinal drugs together with articles on their preparation and use.

Pharmacy technician:

An individual working in a pharmacy who, under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, assists in activities not requiring the professional judgment of a pharmacist; also called the pharmacy tech or tech.

Powder:

A finely divided combination or admixture of drugs and/or chemicals ranging in size from extremely fine (1 micron or less) to very coarse (about 10 mm).

Radiopharmaceuticals:

Drugs containing radioactive ingredients often used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Ratio:

A numerical representation of the relationship between two parts of the whole or between one part and the whole.

Ratio strength:

A means of describing the concentration of a liquid medication based on a ratio such as a grams:b milliliters.

Reabsorption:

The process by which substances are pulled back into the blood after waste products have been removed during the formation of urine.

Solubility:

A drug's ability to dissolve in body fluids.

Or

The quantity of solute that dissolves in a given quantity of solvent to form a saturated solution. Solubility is measured in kilograms per metre cubed, moles per kilogram of solvent, etc. The solubility of a substance in a given solvent depends on the temperature. Generally, for a solid in a liquid, solubility increases with temperature; for a gas, solubility decreases.

Solute:

An ingredient dissolved in a solution or dispersed in a suspension.

Solution:

A homogenous mixture of two or more substances.

Solutions:

Liquid dose forms commonly containing carbohydrates, proteins, electrolytes, minerals, or medications.

Solvent:

The liquid vehicle that dissolves the solute in a solution and makes up the greater part of the solution.

Spacer:

A device used with a metered dose inhaler (MDI) to decrease the amount of spray deposited on the back of the throat and swallowed.

Spatulas:

Stainless steel, plastic, or hard rubber instruments used for transferring or mixing solid pharmaceutical ingredients.

Spatulation:

A process used to blend ingredients, often used in the preparation of creams and ointments.

Specificity:

The property of a receptor site that enables it to bind only with a specific chemical messenger; to bind with a specific cell type, the messenger must have a chemical structure that is complementary to the structure of that cell's receptors.

Spray:

The dose form that consists of a container with a valve assembly that, when activated, emits a fine dispersion of liquid, solid, or gaseous material.

Subscription:

the part of the prescription that lists instructions to the pharmacist about dispensing the medication, including information about compounding or packaging instructions, labeling instructions, refill information, and information about the appropriateness of dispensing drug equivalencies.

Supportive therapy:

therapy for poisoning that consists of establishing the airway and providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); maintaining body temperature, nutritional status, and fluid and electrolyte balance; and preventing circulatory collapse, hypoglycemia, uremia, and liver failure.

Surfactants:

Stool softeners that have a detergent activity that facilitates admixture of fat and water to make the stool soft and mushy.

Tablet:

The solid dose form produced by compression and containing one or more active ingredients.

Topical:

Medication applied to the surface of the skin or mucous membranes.

Topical administration:

Administration of a drug to the skin or any mucous membrane such as eye, nose, ears, lungs, vagina, urethra, and colon; usually administration of a drug directly to the surface of the skin.

Transcription:

The reading of information from a DNA strand onto an RNA strand, which then serves as a messenger, the process is involved in the replication of DNA.

Transdermal delivery system (TDS):

A method of delivering medication via the skin; like a patch.

Trituration:

The process of rubbing, grinding, or pulverizing a substance to create fine particles, generally by means of a mortar and pestle.

Trough:

The lowest level of a drug in the blood.

United States Pharmacopeia (USP):

The independent scientific organization responsible for setting official quality standards for all prescription drugs, OTC drugs, and dietary suppliements sold in the United States.

United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary - (USP-NF):

A book that contains U.S. standards for medicines, dose forms, drug substances, excipients or inactive substances, medical devices, and dietary supplements.

Vertical laminar airflow hood:

A special biological safety cabinet used to aseptically prepare hazardous drugs, especially cytotoxic drugs.

Volume in volume (v/v):

The number of milliliters of a drug (solute) in 100 mL of the final product (solution) .

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion:

An emulsion containing a small amount of water dispersed in an oil; like an ointment.

Water-soluble vitamins:

Vitamins that are excreted in the urine and are not stored in the body; vitamin C and the B vitamins, these vitamins are soluble in water.

Weight in volume (w/v):

The number of grams of a drug (solute) in 100 mL of the final product (solution).

Weight in weight (w/w):

The number of grams of a drug (solute) in 100 g of the final product (solution).